I recently came across an ad with a shiny disco ball of a dress on it and had to check out the designer. Designer Pamella DeVos, a Grand Rapids, MI native, and Michigan State University alumni, launched the first Pamella Roland collection in Fall 2002 with positive results. In seven short years, she has blown up in the retail world and has dressed some very famous celebrities, including Eva Longoria, Angelina Jolie, and Mariah Carey. Her gorgeous, glamorous gowns are red carpet ready and I suspect we’ll be hearing her name mentioned on future red carpet interviews with celebrities looking to definitely make it on the night’s best dressed list.
“Pamella designs for a confident woman with exceptional taste- one who demands a versatile wardrobe in which she feels polished and impeccable without forsaking her sensuality and femininity. Pamella strives to create clothes that allow women to comfortably exude their strength and beauty, while projecting innate elegance.” I have to believe this statement from her website is sewn into the walls of every place that Pamella designs, works, creates, manufactures, etc, because her collections never miss this point. It is translated as clear as day into every piece that comes out on the runway. Amazing, really. Her lush, luxurious, rich fabrics and colors exude confidence, class, and glamour. It just looks like her models should be stepping right off the runway onto their private jets. There is a sophistication to her suits and sportswear designs that make it probably not so hot with the younger generations, but her gowns truly transcend from Baby Boomer to Generation Y.
Pamella was awarded the 2003 “Gold Coast” Award, the “Top Woman-Owned Business” award in Michigan, and was named one of the “most influential women in West Michigan” in 2008. We, at Wardrobe Wire, love it when people give back and even with all of her quick success, Pamella makes it a priority to combine business and travel with philanthropy as often as possible. Although she splits her time between New York and Michigan, she is also a major community support in Grand Rapids, serving on multiple boards, including the “Grand Rapids Art Museum Board of Trustees” and the “Grand Valley State University Foundation Board of Trustees.” She is also the “co-founder and honorary chair of Liz’s House, a residence for homeless women and children and is the founder and chair of the Grand Rapids Griffins Youth Foundation, which encourages academic excellence, community involvement, and healthy lifestyles among area youth…” Let’s be honest, the woman is a go-getter!
Her Fall 2009 collection consists of a palette of rich cranberry and plum, black, gray, winter white, and a splash of green throw in. Her rich fabrics include wool, fox, cashmere, silk and velvet for her outwear pieces and her dress fabrics include faberge, sateen chiffon, sateen faberge, velvet and more.
Her Spring 2010 collection is a burst of cherbert flavored colors including pink, orange, yellow, lavender, and of course, white, silver, and gray. Her fabrics include Degrade, chiffon, silk wool, and lurex tweed.
She loves to use a multitude of fabrics and it makes her collections interesting to look at. Her runway shows are a dance party waiting to happen and her models actually look thrilled to be in her clothes. It’s a refreshing breath of air.
For runway shows, photos of collections, and where to shop: www.pamellaroland.com
